Kidnapped?
by Lufia1
Summary: AU story. Lina receives a very strange visitor one morning.


Kidnapped?  
A Slayers AU Story by Lufia  
Rating: PG-13 for some mild violence  
Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. If I did, Xelloss would be the star, and chaos would rule. That being said, enjoy the fic!  
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"Be good today, Lina," Luna Inverse said, gathering her potions and sweeping them into a leather pouch. "Gourry is coming over tonight to discuss the ceremony, so make sure that the downstairs is presentable. We have to discuss your dowry." Luna patted her red-headed sister on the head and breezed out the door. "Oh, lock the door behind me!"  
  
"Lock the door behind me," Lina muttered, moving toward the heavy oak door. She leaned on it, pushing with all her might, barely managing to shift it closed. She stood on her tiptoes and drew the heavy iron bolt across into place, and sighed. "What does Luna honestly think is going to happen to me? I can take care of myself."  
  
Lina Inverse tromped across the hard-packed dirt floor and plopped herself down into her chair in the kitchen. Her older sister worried too much! Lina was sixteen, after all. She could take care of herself. She didn't need Luna nagging, and, more importantly, she didn't need Gourry marrying her and tying her down forever. Sure, Gourry was a pal. Her family and his had been friends as long as Lina could remember. She knew him very well. But, she did not love him.   
  
"I wish I had a say in my own future," she mumbled out loud. "I'm sure I could find the perfect husband, if I was allowed to go and look."   
  
Ever since her parents had been killed by bandits when she was a child, her older sister had taken care of her. But, as nice as Luna was as a guardian, she was so over protective! Lina had to stay indoors all day, either reading or cleaning. Today was definitely a cleaning day.   
Lina rose from her chair and made her way over to the water pump, smoothing out her dull brown skirts as she walked. For the thousandth time, she wished she were allowed to wear something besides frumpy brown dresses. Lina smiled, remembering her mother dressing her in a bright yellow dress as a child and taking her on a walk into the village proper. She had bought Lina a bag of sweets, which she had devoured in seconds, squealing happily the entire time. Her mother had smiled and laughed. It was one of the few memories Lina had of her parents.  
  
Lina leant against the pump and brushed her cheek lightly with her fingertips, surprised to discover that it was wet. "I never cry," she whispered. "What's wrong with me?" She turned her gaze, staring out the window. Outside, it was a bright sunny day. There were only a few clouds in the sky, and the sun was hidden behind the large maple tree that grew beside their little cottage. A smiling man with violet hair lounged against the maple tree, waving to her.  
  
"What the?" Lina gasped, stepping back from the window. The man frowned as she moved, and pushed himself off the tree. He advanced toward the house. Lina stared at him dumbly through the window. She was frightened of this stranger, yet strangely attracted to him. He was unlike anyone she had ever seen. He wore a long black cloak and black trousers, with a beige shirt and light colored gloves. He had straight violet hair, which hung almost to his shoulders, and carried a wooden staff. He turned to the right suddenly, disappearing from Lina's view. She blinked, wondering where he had gone, then jumped as she heard banging at the front door.  
  
In a flash, Lina was at the front door, leaning all her weight on it. "Who-who is it?" she called out.  
  
"Just a weary traveler in need of a drink of water, miss. Might I find hospitality here?" Lina listened to the voice carefully. The man sounded sincere, but Lina wasn't taking any chances.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to open the door during the day. My sister doesn't trust strangers. The village is only another ten minutes' walk or so up the road, though."  
  
"Please miss, I really am too tired to walk any further. If you could just pass a cup of water outside, I'll sit here and drink it, and not be a bother to you."  
  
Lina paused, considering this. He did sound very weary, and he had looked tired leaning on the tree. Perhaps if she just thrust a little tin cup through a crack in the door, then Luna wouldn't get too upset. Luna wouldn't even have to know, if the man left soon. She was in the village all day, making potions to help the ailing villagers to sleep at night, or to not have stomach pains when they ate. Lina smiled. "I'll get you a cup, just give me a minute." She turned and scampered back to the kitchen, fumbling through the cabinets until she found a large enough cup. She placed it under the faucet, then went around the back and leaned on the iron bar, pumping the brackish water up from the well and into the tiny cup. She retrieved the cup and hurried back to the front door.  
  
"Are you still there?" she called, placing the cup gently on the floor.  
  
"Yes, miss, I'm just resting."  
  
Lina smiled. "It will just be a minute!" She stood on her toes again, and clasped the great bolt. Grunting, she managed to shove the bolt back from the door. She dropped to the ground, catching her breath for a moment. "Almost done!" she called brightly. She stood up and pulled at the brass ring, edging the door open just wide enough to stick the cup through. She went and retrieved the water, then passed it through the crack to the man.  
  
"Thank you," he replied, taking the cup from her, brushing his gloved fingers against hers as he did so. He looked at her, locking her ruby-colored eyes within his amethyst ones, as he drank from the cup. Lina watched him, unable to turn away. Something in his eyes held her captive. "This is very good water," he continued. "You have your own well, I presume?"  
  
Lina nodded dumbly. "Yes, right under the house."  
  
The man paused in his drinking, looking upward at some indiscriminate object. "Hmm," he pondered, "that would explain the slightly rusty quality to it. It's not at all unpleasant, but it could pose a problem in a few years. Rusty water can cause diseases."  
  
"Really?" Lina asked. She wasn't the least bit interested in the water quality. She just wanted him to keep talking. She didn't know why, but she felt strangely drawn to him.  
  
The man nodded sagely, taking a long, slow sip from the tin cup. "And if your well is underneath the house, it will make it difficult to replace the pipes. You should have someone out to look at it." He tipped the up all the way back, swallowing the last drop of water. He sighed as he placed the cup on the stone stoop. "Thank you very much, miss...I'm sorry, what was your name?"  
  
Lina hesitated, biting her lip slightly. "My sister says I shouldn't give my name to strangers. She thinks it could give sorcerers some kind of weird power over me."  
  
The man chuckled. "That's true. If a sorcerer with a vendetta against you knows your name, he can curse you effectively. But, I don't want to put a curse on you. I'd simply like to know the name of the girl who was so kind to me so I can thank her properly." His amethyst eyes bore into her own, conveying to her the sincerity of his words.  
  
"My name is Lina." She blushed slightly as she spoke, suddenly feeling not at all like herself. Lina had never been shy, and now she was biting her lip and blushing. It wasn't like her at all, and she couldn't understand why her demeanor would change so much now. "Sorry," she grumbled. "I don't normally act like an idiot."  
  
"You're not an idiot," the man told her, shifting around to face her. He moved from his cross-legged position until he was sitting on his knees. He reached his gloved hands out and placed them atop her pale ones, his wrists scraping against the doorframe. "You're a very smart woman, and a very kind one."  
  
To her chagrin, Lina found her cheeks growing hotter. "Thank you." She made to stand up from the floor, but the man tightened his grip on her hands. Lina looked up at him, her eyes wide, one eyebrow cocked slightly.  
  
"You're a very attractive girl, Lina," the man whispered. "Won't you come out and play?"  
  
Lina's eyes grew even wider. She suddenly felt afraid of this stranger. "You're welcome for the water, and I'm very glad I could help, but I think that you should continue on your way. I have an awful lot of work to do today, and my sister doesn't like to come home to a half clean house."  
  
"Ah, so you are alone!"  
  
Lina gulped, cursing herself inwardly. The man slid forward, leaning his shoulder on the door. He knelt beside it, pushing with his weight, but not letting go of Lina's hands. She felt the door shift, and immediately slammed her own weight against it, determined not to let him open it further. She pushed as hard as she could, but it was difficult to keep ground with the angle he had pinned her into. He smiled, raising his eyebrows at her slightly, then pushed against the door a little harder. Lina gritted her teeth and dug her heels into the dirt floor, bracing herself more tightly. The door hit her shoulder, causing her to grunt, but she pushed back.  
  
"My my," the man said, "You're certainly a stubborn girl."  
  
"Just go away," Lina spat, shoving her full weight against the door. She smirked as she felt it close slightly.   
  
"Oh, but I'm enjoying this little game too much to leave in the middle. I'm sure we'd have more fun if you'd play by the rules, though."  
  
"What rules?"  
  
The man glared at her. "I win." He let up on the door for a moment, only to slam his body against it hard. Lina cried out as the door flew open, knocking her against the wall. The man smirked and stood, dusting off his cloak. He stepped over the threshold and into the cottage itself, walking deliberately toward Lina.  
  
Lina pulled herself to her feet and scrambled away from the man. She dashed for the kitchen, the man close on her heels. She hit the counter and fumbled to open the drawer. Her fingers closed around the hilt of a knife as the man came up behind her, catching her shoulder. She rounded on him, thrusting the knife into his midsection. He recoiled and stared at the steak knife embedded in his chest. Lina glared at him, panting heavily. Her hand reached behind her, groping for another knife.  
  
"Spirited girl," he said, his gloved hand closing around the knife. "I like that." He pulled the knife out of his body and tossed it aside as if it were a twig. Lina blinked. The wound had completely closed up. Even his tunic was seamless again. She wielded her sister's butcher knife, pointing it at him as she backed away from the counter. He smiled at her. "You've got nerve, I'll give you that," he said, almost laughing as he spoke. "You haven't screamed once."  
  
"I'm not a coward," Lina said. "And I'm not a fool. There's no point in my screaming; no one lives near me. You chose a good target; I'll give you that. But, I'm not going to let you win." She flung the knife at him, causing him to duck, then bolted for the door, her arms pumping wildly. He was up in a flash and intercepted her at the threshold of the kitchen.  
  
"Chase isn't very fun when you cheat," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her, pinning her between himself and the wall. "Why are you running at all? You know I'll win." He locked gazes with her again. Lina glared back, but at the same time, she seemed to sag a little into his grip. His eyes lit up. "You want me to win, don't you?" he asked, peering at her.  
  
Lina lowered her head, her fiery bangs falling over her eyes. The man moved closer to her, then winced as Lina drove her knee upwards. He grunted, falling away from Lina. She shoved him aside and ran toward the front door. If she could get out of the confines of the house, she knew she stood a better chance of escape.  
  
"Shadow snap."  
  
Lina toppled forward suddenly, crashing to the dirt floor. She struggled onto all fours and tried to crawl away, but found she couldn't move, no matter which way she turned. She looked over her shoulder at the man, who was staggering toward her. "What did you do?" she asked, a note of panic creeping into her voice.  
  
"I cast a spell on you. It's quite simple, really. You mean you never learned magic?" The man knelt down near her, knowing she couldn't move too far away.  
  
"My sister forbade it," she replied sullenly. If Luna had let her train with a mage, then she wouldn't be in this mess. Yet another example of her sister's over protective nature doing her more harm than good.  
  
"But you could learn so easily," the man said, reaching out and stroking her hair. Lina flinched at his touch, but was intrigued by his words. "You're practically dripping with magical aptitude," he continued. "I'm surprised you haven't unconsciously tapped into that well of power. It's just below the surface, waiting to be unleashed."  
  
"I could learn magic?" Lina asked, trying to keep the man talking as long as she could. The longer they remained, the better chance she had of escaping. "How?"  
  
"I could teach you," the man said, moving closer to her. He took her chin in his hands, tilting her head up toward his face. "I am very skilled in magical arts. With me as your trainer, you would become the most powerful sorceress in the world."  
  
"Is my power the reason you're so interested in me?" Lina asked. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with some way to escape. She wished she knew how to tap this supposed power she had. He could be stringing her along, but Lina doubted that highly. She had always felt strange, and certain times of the month she felt worse than she should. Luna had always told her she was sickly by nature. Lina never felt sickly, though. She always felt strong.  
  
The man chuckled. "Partly, yes. I'm greatly attracted to your power. However, I am also attracted to you. You fascinate me, Lina."  
  
Lina blinked, startled by his abrupt confession. "Who are you?" she asked.  
  
The man shook his finger at her. "Ah, that is a secret for now, Lina. You will learn my identity in time, if you give up and let me win our little game. That can be your consolation prize, if you like." He waved his hand over her shadow, and took Lina by the hands. He lifted her to her feet, clasping her wrists together in front of her. "Shall we go?"  
  
Lina began to pull away, then hesitated. She didn't entirely trust this man. He had forced his way in, with the intent of kidnapping her. And he was very powerful. She had no doubt that he could kill her on a whim. But, part of her wondered why she was fighting. This stranger was offering her a way out. If she went with him, she wouldn't be forced to marry Gourry, she wouldn't be coddled by her older sister, and she wouldn't be trapped indoors all day.  
  
"Are you actually considering my offer?" he asked lightly. When she hesitated in answering, he let go of her hands and stepped back a pace. "I give you the decision completely. If you choose to remain here, I will leave, and never bother you again. If you choose to come with me, I will teach you magic, and I will take care of you. I admit that my first intention was to abduct you by force, but you have proven to be an interesting young girl, and I don't think it wise to extinguish your flame just yet."  
  
Lina met his gaze. "If my sister catches us, she'll kill us both, you know."  
  
"We'll just have to make sure we're not caught then, won't we?" he replied.  
  
"We will at that," Lina smirked, stepping up to him, catching his gloved hand in her own thin one. 


End file.
